Improvement in railroad-switches



thtittd ,gatita tutti @milite MATTHEW' KEER, OF NEW FLORENCE,PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF, D

v (l. HOOVER, AND W. N. HAYS, OF SAME PLACE.

Letters .Patent .N 90,272, lated May 1S, 1869.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILRQAD-SWITCI-IES.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of thesame.

To all whom 'it may con/cern.-

Be it known that I, MATTHEW Kulm, of New Florence, in the county ofWestmoreland, and in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented anImproved Railroad- Switch; and I do hereby declare that the following isa full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, which make part of this specificatiomand inVwhichl v Figure 1 represents a 'plan or top view of 'my imi provedrailroad-switch; and

Figure 2, a vertical longitudinal section of the same, at the line a; a:of lig. 1.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and securerailroad-switch, which can be readily operated, and when locked, willhold the movable rails firmly in posit-ion, obviating all risk oflateral or vertical displacement, and causing it to be as safe as anyother part of the track.

The device to which my improvement applies con- .sists of a chair orchairs, in which the ends of the rails with which the switch is tocommunicate rest, provided with a series of recesses to receive the endsof the movable rails. lhe movable rails are operated by locking-rod,carrying arms which bear against the bottoms of the movable rails.

By my improvement, flanges are formed on the side ofthe switch-rod,beneath the rails, on which the arms ofthe locking-rod rest when theswitch is locked, and thereby pre-,vent tilting or vertical displacementof the rails, the bottom ilanges of which rest in the recesses, whichhold them firmly, and prevent lateral displacement, as hereinafter morefully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, which sho'.. .t convenient arrangementofthe parts for calrying ont the objects of iny invention,

A A1 represent the movable rails, pivoted by pins, a a' to the cross-tieA2, and when locked, resting upon the cross-ties A,

The drawings show what is termed athree-throw switch, D D', O C', and EE, representing portions of three lincs of' track, with any one. ofwhich the rails A A1 can be thrown into communication, as shown bythefull black lines, dotted black lines, and full red lines,respectively.

My improvements, however, are equally well adapted to be used inconnection with a greater or less number of tracks.

The ends of the rails C C', D D, land. E E which are adjacent to themovable rails A A1, rest in chairs, B B1, secured to a cross-tie, B.

' Recesses b b', c c', cl fl', are formed in the chairs B Bl, to receivethe lower flanges of the movable rails A A1, when the same are broughtinline with-either of the three tracks before stated, respectively, andwhen resting in the recesses, the movable rails are electually securedfrom lateral displacement The rails A Al are shifted by means of aswitch-rod 'or bridle, G, having lips, g2, which embrace their lowerflanges, and connected by a rod, g1, to a crank-shaft, G', pivoted to afra1ne,-H, ou the cross-tie B2.

Flanges q are formed on one side of the switch-rod G, beneath the railsA A1.

A locking-rod, F, operated by a level', F', is pivoted" upon thecross-tie B2, transversely to the rails A A1, and carries arms, ff,which bear against the bottoms of the same, near their ends, and raisethem from the recesses in the chairs B B1, to be shifted as desired, bymeans ot' the crank-shaft Gr', and connections, as shown in iig. 2.

The rails A A1 being moved into such position as to have their endsstand above the recesses, in which it is desired that they shall rest,the arm or lever F is raised, and secured by a chain and padlock, orother suitable fastening, to a staple, h, on the'fianie H.

` The ends of the rails A Al then drop into a pair of recesses, and thearms ff bear upon the flanges g of the switch-rod G, and the lever Fbeing secured to the staple h, it is impossible for the rails to betilted or vertically displaced.

4'I'he red lines in tig. 2 show the relative position of the arms andflanges when locked.

The pins a a are so `formed as to admit of the proper lateral andvertical swing of the movable rails.

It'will be seen that my improved switch is of simple construction, andfiee from liability to derangementof its parts when Operated. The endsof the movable rails resting in the recesses of the chairs, and beinglikewise held down by the locking-rod, as hereinbefore described, allrisk of displacement is removed, and the switch is rendered as safe forthe passage of a train as a permanent portion ofthe track.

It is'a well-known fact that in switches in common use, accidents fromdisplacement are frequent, and q of February, 1869.

MATTHEW KERK. i

Witnesses:

F. O. Scams, CHARLES HERRoN.

